Circus Freaks & Crimson Teas
by ValentinaMadoka
Summary: A set of Teen Titans one-shots concerning Raven's muses, the strange crimson tint of Star's teas, and of course non-stop corny jokes from a certain green skinned changeling. And perhaps all these little stories really do connect and make their own little story... RATED K . WARNING: Angst in some chapters.
1. Circus Freaks

**authors note: **Woo Hoo

* * *

Smiling was a useful tool, it helped form trustful bonds with people you'd just met. Smiles were often appreciated, even if they were fake. I used this power over humans often, it helped me forget that I was a demon sometimes. In fact sometimes I looked into a mirror and instead of seeing the four eyed demon my father wanted me to be, I saw a skinny little girl in a blue cloak, one with long violet hair and sharp eyes that were made to glare. Humans, of course, were new to me still. Such ignorant creatures, blissful and stupid but I absolutely adored them. Their blatant ignorance was adorable, as most of them refused to believe in these 'demons' and 'heroes'. That wasn't normal to them, but of course it was my life. One of the most fascinating things I'd seen on this Earth, however, had to be the Circus. These people were abnormal, and they made a living off of it. Maybe that's what I could do, I was already a freak. Maybe I could be a circus freak as well. It was a suitable enough job for me, and I could use my powers to awe the spectators.

I especially loved these amazing acrobats, their names: The Flying Grasons. They were agile and graceful and they streaked through the air without care like birds. I admired it to the highest extent. I also may have had the slightest adoration to their son, Richard. Couldn't help my little feelings that came out now that I was 'banished' to Earth, these humans and their silly emotions would be the death of me. So today, I watched my muses with the most idolatry my little heart could muster, and everything went perfectly, until they fell of course.

Their face's looked so broken and panicked as they fell from their son's tiny hands, and slowly fell to their dooms. I could only watch, horrified and riven. I had bit my pale lip so hard I drew the slightest bit of crimson, as I watched my idles fall to their untimely demise. I felt tears, cold and metallic, numbing my face ever so effectively. The tears hurt, but the echoing pain in my heart hurt worse.

I looked toward their son, who was staring ever so frightened at the air where his parents had fallen. It looked as though he hadn't blinked in hours, and I watched as tears streamed down his face. He was screaming and yelping for his parents, calls they could no longer answer. He reached his hand down as if he could still catch them, and I just watch. I felt tortured by the will to help, maybe I could heal his parents...but then I would expose myself...and I would die. I could comfort Richard, but the boy hardly knew me. I was just a face in the crowd.

So instead, I ran out of the tent. I just ran, as fast as I could. Away, wherever I could get away from that place. Tears stung me like darts, but I ignored them. As soon as I got as far away as I could, I stared at the ground and just screamed bloody murder. Screams that no one heard or cared about. Then I fell to my knees and allowed myself to pass out. Why would I need to stay awake right now?

* * *

**ending note: **AHEM. THIS TOOK FOREVER. I had to rewrite this about 5 billion times.

Next one-shot'll come soon!


	2. Crimson Tea

To say the salmon haired alien was acting a little strangely was an immense understatement, in fact even Raven felt a tiny pinch of the fear she spread like wildfires. It started with her strangely crimson tinted teas, the ones that tasted like metal and had hints of bitter salt in it. At first everyone had refused to drink it, of course, considering her long line of alien dishes that usually tasted disgusting to the other Titans. Eventually, however, Beast Boy was curious as a cat, after all who wouldn't be curious at red teas? But then again curiousity killed the cat, and that was what Beast Boy currently was. The green changeling had formed into a small kitten and dashed under the sofa after tasting the ingot tasting brew, scared slightly as the taste was far to familiar to him. He remembered vividly all the nervous lip bites he did, and how his blood tasted when he licked it from his chapped lips. Starfire was making tea from blood, and whoever's blood it was...well they were an unlucky first kill. Or one of many kills. Who knew?

Curiosity spread through all the Titans like a viruis, with Raven as the injection to stop it. She could easily tell Starfire was going slowly insane, and putting someone's vital fluids into a china tea cup was only step 1. Raven knew what insanity was, the creeping feeling in the back of your brain, voices screaming in your head that you wish you could just turn off, when you feel like falling into an abyss but that voice in your brain strangles you back, killing you by simply keeping you alive. It pierced you more than any weapon ever could. So, unfortunately for the bird and the cyborg, she didn't warn them of Starfire's growing insanity.

The second to drink the tea was the Cyborg, who had watched his usually light, kindhearted friend yelp, and leap under the couch in the form of a scared little kitten. Tentatively, the mechanical advocate gingerly accepted the scarlet tea, which the queer alien was more than glad to give to him. In fact, her smile looked more than pleased, but it was almost morbid delight. Nervously, Cyborg sipped the strangely-colored tea, expecting a usual tea taste to fill his taste-buds, but instead he got the sensation of rust and a bitter tint. The unnerved machine stepped away slowly, gently putting the china cup onto the table next to a disappointed looking Starfire.

The third to consume the eccentric drink was a concerned Robin, who had looked at the cup precariously for a moment, as though this thin glass would tell him why it's contents were different then that of other teas. The usually stoic teen brought on a pouted face of disgust while taking a sip of his girlfriend's tea. At first he was positive that it was just a taste of alien's teas, and that aliens found this mechanical taste delightful. However, Star's macabre face forced him to reconsider. The taste was familiar to him, but he just couldn't think of why. Oh but then he put it all together, with the last piece in an eccentric puzzle. "Star..." he wasn't sure what he would say, perhaps 'why did you kill people just to put their vital fluids into your tea', but that sounded rather odd and he couldn't bring himself to put all the fault of this on her shoulders. She usually was so innocent, why would he know begin to worry about her sanity which dripped away slowly. So instead, the black haired teen just left the cup with his alien friend and took off to, well, anywhere besides there. Starfire pouted, as she know was alone with her strange teas, before a periwinkle haired demon appeared in front of her.

Star allowed her shuddersome smile to return to her tan face before Raven spoke in her usual detached voice.

"Hey Star, how about some tea?"

* * *

**ending note: **sorry this took forever! *hides* I'm sorry.


	3. Winking Shadows

**authors note: ***shudders*

* * *

A masked figure shuddered in his closet doorway, hiding beneath the layers of darkness that situated itself on him, like he was just a landing place for the obscurity. In his pale hand he had a broken picture frame, shards of glass still hanging on to the ligneous frame like a life-line. All around the crepuscular figure there was a mucky crimson color pooling it's way into a complete circle, slowly etching a beautiful picture onto the carpet. This sapphire eyed shadow fell further onto his knees, a vacant expression peeling through his usually prepossessing face. The black and white picture in the frame was of a young boy and his parents, the very day they had fallen from that young boy's wrist. The same young boy who'd left this man, now fading into a shadow, in this precarious situation. The man held onto his last thread of life, his thoughts drifting away from reprisal actions against the boy, but instead his thoughts gained back memories from the war, and his flaxen haired son who'd been taciturn for far to long. The man smiled slightly, his silvery hair falling over his face. His son he'd pretended to execrate for years, for the supposed belief that he would allow all this hatred from his own father to work into his will and make him reprobate. It hadn't worked, of course, as his son was more neutral than ever, with only his few fights against few malefactors to point him toward the lighter end of this uneven tunnel, straight toward the pesky little heroes.

The man felt his breaths shorten, becoming more gasping and arduous. His paling hands slowly reached down, and with two fingers he swept up some of the crimson blood pooling him and slowly began to use his fingers as a paint brush, slowly writing his name on the wall with the blood. 'Slade Wilson' it stated, some of the letters declining, as if his very name was bleeding as he was. With any possible last will, the spectral man gazed into his closet, to find a shady figure observing the macabre scene with a meager smile, as though unimpressed with the man's final movements. Dark circles fought at the corners of the man's eyes, causing his vision to slur slowly. It hurt, a rather uncomfortable throb of pain shooting through his chest. All he could think of was the hurt, his selfish mind set causing his thoughts to be only on his pain. But then again, it was his final minutes, could he not be as selfish as he pleased?

His vision narrowed, his only sight was the shadow sitting in his closet. The figure's face was slightly inclined as it watched the scene with a morbid fascination.

"Goodbye, Slade." The figure winked one beautiful blue eye, before Slade Wilson, a man built on lies and sins, closed his eyes and dreamed forever.


End file.
